T-Mobile: BlackBerry OS Popularity in Steady Decline

If you believe a spy shot leaked to our friends at PocketBerry, then YES, BlackBerry OS is in a particularly steady (if not steep) decline. The image you’re looking at above was snapped by an anonymous tipster, present at a T-Mobile U.S. east region meeting. The graph pretty much speaks for itself. Oh BlackBerry OS, oh Windows Mobile… you guys are in trouble. But this should come as no surprise, right?

According to Gartner, Google Android devices have outsold the iPhone globally, and RIM’s BlackBerry in the United States in the second quarter. That said, it should be noted that Nokia and RIM are still the kings of the castle, with Symbian OS making up 41.2% of the market, and BlackBerry holds 18.2%. However, if the Android invasion is well and truly on, it should be interesting to see what the situation is at this time next year. Will Android hold the leading market share globally? How about Apple and iOS? Will RIM’s BlackBerry 6 OS help the company hold pace? Or is the chart above simply sign of things to come?

I wish I had a crystal ball, but sadly I don’t. I have a bowling ball in my basement, but that’s just not the same.

One question about this article. Why do you not point out that Apple OS market share is declining as well and in fact appears to be on the same slope as the RIMM? Are we seeing only what we want to see depending on the stock market shares we own?

Tony

@robrt, Well considering there is a big photograph of the chart for all to see; one would think it not necessary to point out every obvious detail. Looks like you spotted the info you needed just fine for your snark attack. And besides Apple’s decline is a projection starting next year. Rim’s downward slope has been going for a couple of years now.

I think what’s more interesting is what this graph will look like next year when Windows phone 7 hits the market. If it isn’t successful I wouldn’t be surprised to hear Microsoft announce that they are going to focus on Zune and perhaps tablet software and get out of the phone business. I mean look at where they are on that chart. It projects them riding off into the sunset sometime around 2014 or 2015.

ljp

That chart seems to be based on Gartner’s market share predictions. Take some time to go back to 2007 and have a look at other predictions made by IDC and Gartner. Symbian was predicted to have 65% market share in 2010, how did that one work out?

The market share breakdown in Q3 of 2006 as reported by Canalys was Symbian 72.8%, Linux 19.7%, Microsoft 5.6%, RIM 2.8% and Palm 1.8%. Now, out of all those companies and OS systems, which one today has the healthiest financial smartphone business?

Market share is meaningless compared to profit and predicting where the market will be in four or five years is a fool’s errand. How many times do these research firms have to be proven wrong before people stop reporting their guesses?

DavidB

I call fake. No “market share” or anything in this biz declined in that linear a fashion. NOTHING.